Flow field and heat transfer characteristics in a model solar PV farm
ORAL
Abstract
Large scale solar farms supply an increasing amount of the world's electricity supply. However, high operation temperatures can strongly reduce efficiency and panel lifetime, negatively affecting the levelized cost of energy. In this work, the convective heat transfer coefficient for a utility-scale solar farm is studied using thermal and particle image velocimetry measurements in a scaled wind tunnel experiment. The results confirm the applicability of the scaled experimental setup to studies of large solar arrays. Further, the velocity measurements indicate the complex flow structure within the solar array, governed by wakes directed upwards due to the orientation of the solar panels.
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Authors
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James McNeal
Portland State University, Maseeh College Of Engineering,
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Andrew Glick
Portland State University, Portland State University, Maseeh College Of Engineering,
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Naseem Ali
Portland State University, Portland State University, Maseeh College Of Engineering,
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Juliaan Bossuyt
Portland State University, Portland State University, Maseeh College Of Engineering,
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Gerald Recktenwald
Portland State University, Maseeh College Of Engineering,
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Marc Calaf
University of Utah, The University of Utah, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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Raul Cal
Portland State University, Portland State University, Maseeh College Of Engineering,